1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an antenna for broad-band radio wave receivers such as radios and televisions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Several patents have been issued for compact broad-band radio wave receiving antennas. These are: Raymond -- 2,836,824; Kandoian -- 2,640,928; Neil -- 1,845,512; Poirier -- 1,686,465 and Sharp -- 1,670,553. These patents disclose antennas of various configurations, both of the cage and solid types. Patent No. 1,845,512 discloses a configuration that is essentially two pyramids placed base to base, the bases being nonconductive. Patent No. 1,670,553 discloses a pyramid shaped solid antenna with a conductive base which is included primarily for structural support and not for increased reception efficiency.
Antennas of this general shape were developed primarily to replace and improve upon wire antennas which had to be stretched between two spaced supports and properly insulated from the ground. These antennas were generally large and difficult to erect because they required posts, towers or other elevated spaced supports.
Because stretched wire antennas generally had to be outside due to physical size, they were exposed to the elements and subject to corrosion, shorting and wind damage, all of which reduced the efficiency and life of the antennas. The above mentioned patents all addressed these problems and disclosed methods of reducing the mass of broad-band radio wave receiving antenna.
The disclosures of the above mentioned patents were only a partial solution to the size problem. Even though the antennas disclosed did not require sizable structures as did the stretched wire type, they all necessitated an essentially permanent installation which prohibited their use on small portable receiving equipment. The key is to develop a broad-band radio-wave receiving antenna that can be incorporated into or easily accompany small portable receiving equipment such as radios and televisions. It is to this area that the present invention is addressed.